Apple today paid tribute to its founder and visionary CEO Steve Jobs with a memorial celebration in the amphitheater at its headquarters, 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA.

Employees gathered by the thousands in the open-air amphitheater on campus to view a program that paid homage to Jobs. Board member Al Gore was present and singer Norah Jones, a friend of Jobs’, performed as did soft rock group Coldplay.

Apple Stores were closed for three hours today to allow employees to view a stream of the proceedings and their windows were covered with white sheets for privacy. They have now re-opened.

This aerial video of the crowds at Apple HQ was captured by Cnet in which you can see the large banners with photos of Jobs hanging from the buildings:

The City of Cupertino also paid tribute to Jobs with a short video and a post on its official blog:

The memorial apparently ended with the playing of “You’ve got a friend in me,” the Randy Newman song that was the theme of Toy Story. Toy Story being the film that made Pixar, Jobs’ third major company, a success.

It appears as if the memorial was a success and employees appreciated the effort. As Thomas Han, an employee at Apple HQ put it, “that was a very moving Steve Jobs memorial for us…so proud, humbled and honored to be part of this legacy.”